Man arrested on suspicion of tablet tampering

A 43-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of offences under the Medicines Act 1968

A man has been arrested after a shopper noticed a packet of over-the-counter medicine had been opened and the tablets had been replaced.

Northamptonshire Police said the man, 43, had been arrested on suspicion of offences under the Medicines Act 1968.

Anyone who has bought products containing codeine, such as Nurofen Plus, from pharmacies in Northampton in the last few months should check if the blister packaging was still intact, the force said.

PC Lydia Chamberlain, from Northamptonshire Police, said it was an "unusual incident" and urged anyone with information to get in touch.

The force said when the shopper noticed the packaging was not intact they returned the box to the store and staff members reported it to the police.

PC Chamberlain said: "This is an unusual incident whereby the blister pack of tablets inside the box had been opened, the original tablets potentially removed or replaced and the box somehow put back on the shelf."

She said the force wanted to know if it had happened to anyone else and asked anyone who may have noticed "some or all of the pack of tablets had been opened, or incorrect items in the box" to get in touch.